Stormy Inspiration
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: [AU] From cloud drawing to some old-fashioned bondings... Sometimes relationships change as fast as the weather.
1. Open Sky

**A/N:** Written for:

The Chain Reaction Challenge, Open Sky - Fashion Disaster  
Advent Calendar 2015, Day 25 - Roll up to five dice (that means you only have to roll one or two if you want). That number is how many chapters your fic will have. Rolls: (2)5+1=6  
Diversity Writing Challenge, h21 - write a fic that is K rated  
Chapter Set Boot Camp, #022 - 6 chapters  
Becoming the Tamer King Challenge, Chrome Mine task  
The Endurance Challenge, week 21-23

* * *

 **Stormy Inspiration  
** _Chapter 1 – Open Sky_

.

He likes to sketch the clouds.

They seem like such a boring thing to others, but he likes them. They look so subtly different every time and catching them in his sketchbook is an art in itself, and an art he aims for.

They are different characters, those clouds, and he'll never catch them all. But he'll try.

And in his sketchbook will be portrait pictures of each and every one.

.

It's Sunday morning and it's sunny. Takato takes his book outside because that's the best view. A school roof would be nice but those aren't allowed. Not at his school anyway. Too many chances for accidents and maybe high school will be the same once he gets there, or maybe he'll make it into that art college and they'll be more accommodating to the artistic muses they house and there'll be some high vantage point from where he can see the clouds even more closely than before.

But that was only a dream at this point when he is still in elementary school, so Sundays at the park it is. This time, it's tiptoeing off with the dawn because for once he's on top of his homework and his parents are happy for him to spend a little extra time out of the house when he is (and more time at his desk when he's not). And because of that, he has so few dawn clouds that he'll take any opportunity he can get for another one.

And besides that, the air smells lovely with a hint of the pre-dawn chill in it. Of course, he's got a jacket on but no mittens – because how is he supposed to draw with mittens? And his parents will be up soon too because the bakery opens at seven regardless of the day and there'll be the smell of fresh bake and cocoa adrift when he returns.

The thought of cocoa and cream buns for breakfast is making his toes curl with warmth already. And he laughs, even though there's no-one to hear.

And then he thinks he better get sketching before the dawn's gone, and he opens his sketchbook on his lap and does exactly that. But of course the dawn is a fleeting, teasing, thing and he has to fill the rest of it in from memory and that takes a bit of doing, and quite a bit of concentration, and it still doesn't look exactly right at the end –

'Ooh, that's beautiful.'

He fumbles and manages to catch the sketchbook, but the pencils roll. Something green flashes before him and he blinks, and there's one of the girls from school handing him his pencils back.

And he was pretty absorbed in his cloud portrait before that. No wonder he didn't hear her coming.

'Thanks,' he says gratefully, accepting the pencils. 'And sorry. I was –'

'Concentrating,' Juri supplies. 'This doesn't look like the morning sky. There isn't that much…shade?'

'Well, colour.' He shrugs. 'I was just using a lead pencil though so shades works.'

'Like the black and white picture that snaps a scene originally in colour?' she asks, before giggling. 'Or the school photo-copier.'

The school photocopier, or the student one anyway, is notorious for leaving a black streak in the middle of each page it copied. It really is a blemish but no-one's gotten around to fixing it yet and it's not like the pages they copy aren't readable. They're just not…aesthetic, and sometimes Takato wonders if it ever bothers anyone aside from him.

But then someone complains and he knows it does bother them too otherwise they wouldn't mention it.

He grins at her too. 'Hope that doesn't mean my drawings have a streak of something in the middle.'

'Does it really? Does it really?' He blinks as Juri's voice suddenly changes, but then realises a sock puppet is examining every inch of his sketch. It's actually rather…endearing. 'Nope, I can't see any.'

And no, he does not suddenly want to sketch that girl and her sketch puppet…especially since the news will probably be all around school by tomorrow if he asks.

'Is it weird?' Juri asks softly, following his eyes but not the train of thought behind them. 'I mean, my little brother loves it, but – ' She stumbles suddenly. 'Not that I'm comparing you to my little brother, but…' She shrugs helplessly. 'I'm digging myself further into a hole, aren't I?'

'A little bit,' Takato admits. 'But we all do that. And it's not weird at all. To be honest, I was thinking how cool it'd be to sketch you and your sock-puppet, but…'

'You want to?' She considers a moment, then grins. 'Hey, if you can give a cloud that much life without even using colour pencils, I'm game.'

'You are?' Whoops, and he hadn't even planned to ask. 'That's great.' Now what? 'But…umm…could you keep it a secret? Hirokazu and Kenta are great and all, but they don't really get art.'

'Everyone has things special to them,' says Juri, and for some reason, she looks a little sad, before she grins. 'Secret commission, got it. But does this mean I can show my little brother?'

'Sure thing.' Because how could he deny showing a little kid an art piece with their big sister as the centrepiece? And now that he thinks about it, Juri's always cheerful. A grey pencil just isn't going to do that justice. It can handle the clouds in all their moods because clouds are never around on a clear day where only the sun shines because that's what they call a cloudless sky and it's painfully hard to draw the sun. It usually winds up being the white in the centre of the page, with the sky as the shades of grey all around. 'Maybe I'll paint a colour version for him.'

'Sounds like a deal.' They shake on it. 'Are you heading back now? I'll walk you if you are.'

Takato wonders why he doesn't talk to Juri more often. What sort of textbook girl offers to walk the guy back home?

'I'm getting cream buns for breakfast,' she explains.

'And cocoa,' he adds. At her confused look, he explains: 'our breakfast.'

'Ooh,' she says. 'Cocoa sure sounds yum, but since 'tou-san runs a bar, it'll probably be orange juice for us.'

'You could…eat with us,' he suggests, before realising he's just invited a girl for breakfast, and a classmate at that.

But since it's the same cream buns they're talking about…

'Okay,' she agrees. 'And I'll buy some buns for morning tea then.'

So they do wind up walking back after all, because Takato is sufficiently distracted and the dawn sky is long gone. Now it's the open morning: bright with the sun leaving the sky as a single shade of blue save the clouds of grey and white that are its subjects.

'By the way,' Juri asks, 'aren't you supposed to get all flustered when someone peaks at your sketch book, not offer to draw them instead?'

Takato shrugs. 'Maybe,' he agrees. He sees enough people do that…including Kenta if someone reads one of his little vignettes before he's ready to share. 'But these are my cloud portraits, and if you can compliment them instead of laugh at them, what have I got to hide?'

And she seems surprised at the answer. 'How could I laugh? I never thought a cloud had so much detail to it!'

Which is his point exactly, but most people don't seem to see it. So he can't help but walk on clouds under the open sky until the shade of the Matsuda's bakery was above them.


	2. Sky Canvas

**Stormy Inspiration**  
 _2\. Sky Canvas_

.

She likes to walk under the sun. It's bright, and there's always people around when the sun's there too. Unlike overcast days where everyone scampers for shelter and the streets become lonely instead. She can't even bring her sock puppet out for company those days because it'll get soaked too and then Masahiko will make a fuss when it's bed-time.

The sun's out today but there are clouds in the sky and she doesn't mind them so long as they don't bring a torrent of rain along.

They haven't yet, but they've brought a classmate and some long-time company, it seems.

.

Juri takes a deep breath inside the Matsuda bakery. It's still early for students like themselves on a Sunday, but those people who work through the week trickle in and out and take some baked goodies along. She'd be one of those people, usually, but this time Takato leads her behind the counter, chats with his mother, and then into the kitchen while blushing bright red.

Juri smiles, but truthfully she'd be in the same boat if this was her father's bar instead.

Takato's father is at the bar. He doesn't comment on her presence past a nod to Takato's "I've got a friend over for breakfast" and taking out another plate. Takato takes two mugs out of another cupboard and soon, they're in Takato's room with a pile of steaming and slightly misshapen buns (the better ones go out front, of course).

'I really hope my mother's stopped cooing,' Takato sighs, alternating between the hot cocoa and his first bun.

Juri's smile widens. 'I thought it was cute,' she says. 'Granted, my father'd likely give you the dressing down instead.'

'You'd think we were bringing our partners home.' And wasn't that silly, when they were eleven, classmates who only knew each other so-so and were just starting to know each other a little better. 'And I can only get away with so much, seeing as they work from home and there aren't any other kids or pets or anything underfoot…'

'Kid brothers only take away so much attention,' Juri says thoughtfully. 'Especially since three year olds aren't allowed anywhere near the bar area. For an only child whose used to having the entirety of their parents' attention, it can feel pretty…abandoning. Suddenly you have to share… But at the same time, kid brother. Someone who looks up to you instead of the other way around. Someone you can complain to and they'll only give you a sloppy grin because they don't have a clue…'

Takato is staring curiously at her, and she realises she's done the rare thing and let her mouth run away with her.

'I'm sorry,' she exclaims, blushing. 'It's just –'

He grins suddenly. 'You're always such a nice poster-girl in class,' he says. 'It's good to see the dimensions.'

It takes Juri a moment to process that. 'You mean the difference between a 2D and 3D?'

'Yep, exactly that.'

Which translates to them knowing each other a little better now and liking what they've found out. They share a grin.

'Still, I'm surprised they let us up here for breakfast.'

Takato shrugs. 'Well, we could've taken the dining table but my sketchbooks and stuff are up here.'

He's done far before her and then he digs around. The rest of breakfast is a little more awkward because Takato starts sketching and Juri is still nibbling away at the buns.

She might wind up having one or two extras in the process, too.

But eventually she crawls over to him and when he doesn't scold his model for moving around, she looks. And blinks. 'How do you do that?' she asks. 'With a single pencil, and yet you can tell what should be light and dark and colourful and grey…'

He shrugs. 'I used to draw with crayons,' he explains, 'but then I got better. I took classes at the library too, but the colourful stuff still look the best when they have colours. Things like clouds though, they're always the same shades. All I really need is blue and yellow and the normal black. You're different.'

She's flattered. She really is because he's talking about her specifically and not just anyone he's happening to sketch. Then again, she should hope he doesn't let complete strangers into his bedroom and it's only because they already know each other from class.

But now Takato is frowning over his sketch. 'The background's all wrong.'

Technically, there isn't a background, or as far as Juri can tell. 'Your bedroom wall?'

Takato shakes his head. 'Too plain. 'kaa-san won't let me decorate.' He chews on the tip of his pencil as he thinks – and then he snorts. 'I've got it. Outside.'

'We're going outside?' Juri asks, confused at the sudden switch.

'No…well, maybe.' Takato opens his window. A cool breeze sneaks in and ruffles the loose pages. 'What I meant is the clouds.'

'Clouds again?' Juri is amused, and happy to see he doesn't misunderstand her gentle teasing for something more ribbing. 'I prefer a cloudless sky to walk under, rather.'

'Maybe,' he allows,' but a cloudless sky doesn't suit you – as far as this,' he waves at his drawing by her knees, 'goes. It's too bright. Add that to the splash of colour you are and it's blinding.' He coughs as he realises calling her a splash of colour might not be too flattering. 'Uh, I mean –'

'It's fine.' And she grins, because it's actually a nice compliment, particularly since it's the sort that few people are ever going to think of, let alone say. But it has a double meaning and she can sort of see where Takato is going with it.

Or, rather, Takato can sort of see where he's going with it himself. He's still musing over the clouds though. 'Not entirely overcast,' he thinks. 'Maybe not overcast at all. Or a bit. Hmm…' He shakes his head. 'I guess I can add the overcast in later if non-overcast doesn't work out.' He picks his sketchbook up again, then frowns. 'Maybe we should try outside.'

So they troop outside and Takato rubs away and redraws bits and adds in other bits. The results is a slightly wind-ruffled portrait of her backed with clouds in a slightly overcast sky and the sock-puppet scrunched up in her lap. Somehow, the conversation's turned to cats and dogs in the meantime (Juri wants a cat and Takato wants a dog but both sets of parents have long since put their feet down on the matter of pets) and Juri is surprised to find her sock puppet really is scrunched up in her lap. She smooths it out hurriedly.

Takato goes back to chewing his pencil after a bit more.

'It's getting cold,' Juri says. Now she knows why she'd scrunched her sock puppet up. She'd been trying to keep her fingers warm.

Takato looks at his hands. 'Sure is,' he says. There's a white imprint where he'd been clutching his pencil. 'We should head back in – uh oh.'

The sky is overcast above them. Heavily overcast. And people wander past carrying umbrellas – and neither of them thought to brought one.

'The shopping centre across the road?' Juri suggests. 'Or should we risk trying to walk back to one of our houses?'

The first drop of rain answers them, and they grab their things and bolt.


	3. Canvas Shopping

**Stormy Inspiration  
** _Chapter 3 - Canvas Shopping_

.

He likes to watch the rain but it's almost an impossibility to draw. Unlike the clouds that meander and drift so slowly he can capture still shots of them, the rain is always flowing. He knows people can do it. Photos, paintings, drawings… But he's never been able to grasp it himself. It's so different from one moment to the next that a still-shot does it no justice at all.

Even people don't change so fast.

.

Not many stores are open on a Sunday, since it's near the school and kids hang out there after hours. The game store is closed, for example, so Takato can't try his luck with the new booster packs (not that he'd planned to anyway; he's lucky he remembered his wallet at all!). Some of the cafes are closed too, but since his family owns a bakery, he hardly spends time there anyway. And they had plenty of buns for breakfast and brought a few for snacks if they got hungry.

The stationary and printing stores were closed as well, but the bookstore was open and they sold some stationary on the side. Less variety, but the quality was good. And, somehow, they wound up drifting in there before Takato had quite worded his request.

'I come here a lot,' Juri says, looking in the new releases section. 'Buying picture books for Masahiko, or novels for myself.'

'I come for art books and manga,' Takato admits, as Juri picks out a picture book and a slightly thicker paperback. 'and if I ever run out of pencils or a scrapbook when the stationary store is closed…or suddenly want to paint something.' He drifts over as he says that. 'What do you think?'

'About what?' Juri asks, following. 'I can't say I know much about what pencils and papers are good for stuff.'

Takato shakes his head. 'Not that. I promised a painting for Masahiko, didn't I?'

'Did you?' Juri tilts her head a little. 'I was imagining more of a large piece of paper, actually. A canvas…'

'Might be overkill.' And Takato droops a little, because while it probably is overkill, he's suddenly looking forward to it. Paint will have a better contrast and greater depth as well, and something about the canvas is just screaming out.

'Well, maybe,' hedges Juri, and she's blushing again. 'But I think Masahiko would love it. And it is rather flattering. Embarrassingly flattering, really.'

And now Takato is blushing as well, because he can see the point Juri is making.

Luckily, a salesperson chips in before their conversation can ground to a halt. 'Aww, don't the two of you make the sweetest couple?'

'We're not a couple,' they say together, before staring at each other, blushes still painted on their cheeks. And they trip over each other in the explanation too.

'We're friends.'

'She's my subject –'

' – my little brother –'

Laughing, the salesperson holds up their hands. 'Trying to decide on a good canvas size?'

Takato nods. Juri is still blushing too heavily to protest and they manage to settle on one that'll be a comfortable fit…hopefully. It still seemed expensive for the room of a little kid but Takato argues once again that he's painting her because he wants to and it's probably less embarrassing for the both of them if finished product (assuming they both approve of it) hangs on Masahiko's bedroom wall than stays with one of them.

They pay for their purchases. There's a little discussion again at the counters which ends in them splitting the cost of their joint purchases between them, and then they sigh at the rain.

It's only gotten worse in the time they've been in the bookstore, not better.

'Not heading out in that, I hope,' says the salesperson, now at the cashier ringing up their purchases.

'Definitely not,' they agree. Even with umbrellas. The rain wasn't falling straight anymore which meant there was a strong wind at play as well – and the swaying branches outside confirms it.

'Did you know there was supposed to be a storm today?' Takato asks.

Juri shakes her head. 'Tonight,' she says, 'but nobody said anything about to _day_.'

'Figures.' Takato sighs. His muse is itching for some paint now that there's a canvas tucked under an arm and his sketch is itching for his colours, but his remaining tools are at home and he by no means has endless pocket money to buy replacements for them all for his impatience. 'Well, hang out here some more or check out the other shops?'

'Maybe read for a bit?' Juri asks in return. 'Heavy rain tends to not last too long. We can snack on the buns.'

'We can.' Takato grins. Sounds like a great idea to him and, luckily, the bookstore is used to students reading books off their shelves and buying perhaps a third of what they read. They've even got couches…which are pretty empty on a Sunday but overspilling on school evenings.

So they waited for a whole half-hour. Juri begins her new novel and Takato picks a manga off the shelves (and not the one Kenta's still reading otherwise he'll be insufferable on Monday) and they spread themselves over the couches with their buns on the table. They offer one to the salesperson when they realise the goods are from the Matsuda bakery – even if a sheepish Takato points out they're technically the rejects that are eaten by family and friends or sold cheap…and sometimes taken for the birds in the park.

Granted, those birds have probably found a nice wide tree to hide under with the storm outside. Thank goodness the shopping centre is undercover. They can move from shop to shop without having to brave the storm outside…and with the amount of paper between them, they probably wouldn't have risked it anyway.

But a half-hour later, the rain and wind are still both growing strong. Takato has put down his manga volume and has tried sketching the scene of rain plastered to the windowsill but even that is constantly shifting. And he has a bare impression by the time Juri sighed and closes her own novel, but is trying to work out how to get an adequate representation of the world reflected in those droplets and the glass of the windowpane before admitting he'd need a far larger paper for that…or pick a smaller area to sketch.

Maybe he'll try it out with Kenta's glasses one day. They always manage to get wet post-sport lessons and probably will continue to until he gets used to the fact that he wears glasses fulltime now and needs to take them off before washing his eyes.

But he can't do that right now and Juri is shifting restlessly on the couch with a marker tucked into her book and the sky's not opening back up to let them out from under it. He likes clouds and all, but not when he can't see them and not when they're keeping him stuck inside on one of the few days school or chores aren't…

'Time to go?' he asks.

Juri agrees. And they don't have a particular store in mind, but they do know that they've lingered in the bookstore for too long.


	4. Shopping Day

**Stormy Inspiration  
** _Chapter 4 - Shopping Day_

.

She likes to go shopping without her family. They all have their own things to hang around. Like Masahiko with toys and anything colourful and definitely anything that looks remotely like her sock-puppet. And her step-mother fills in the role of a mother nicely enough for the most part and knows how to handle a girl of her age… But it just isn't the same and sometimes the substitute isn't enough for her.

Granted, she's never been shopping with a boy from her class before and she's suddenly curious to see how things would go if she drags him into a clothing store.

And she doesn't think he'll be as adverse to the idea as most boys…even if he'll probably go red as a beetroot when she mentions it.

.

'I…since we're stuck.' Juri changes track without giving Takato much of a hint of the first one, and he stares at her. 'Wanna do window-shopping?'

'Shopping how?' he asks, somewhat apprehensively. 'Not arguing about the mix of flour or something like that, right?'

Well, Juri supposes things like that come with the territory. Her father is very particular about his drinks after all, so why wouldn't the Matsudas be particular about their flour?

But they're not going to do anything like that. 'Clothes,' Juri admits. 'My father tried his best, but it was hard for him. And my stepmother's great and all, but it's just not the same. And Masahiko is too young to have any useful input at this point.'

Takato blinks midway, and Juri realises she's admitted to having a stepmother (that's not exactly general knowledge) but he takes that tidbit without any fanfare. 'Not sure how much help I'll be,' he says, 'but as long as we stay far away from any girly undergarments – ' And Juri has to supress a giggle at that. 'I'm game.'

'Want to see me in a cute dress?' she teases.

'You're already in a cute dress,' Takato points out, a little too reasonably – though he does blush when his mind catches up with his mouth. 'I want to see how you look in different colours. And maybe with your hair down.'

Juri touches the hair-tie in her hair and considers that. 'Why not?' she agrees. She doesn't think it'll make her look too different, from the angle Takato sketched her in, but it's not exactly hard to tie her hair back up again before she leaves…or a great loss if she doesn't. She may have to tie it into a short ponytail anyway, with the way the wind still is.

So they head into the first of the clothing stores. The good thing about it is that it sells primarily childrens' and teen clothing…which means it's missing a few important things for those at the more mature end of the spectrum, but isn't tucked away in some corner to make room for the adult things. The down-side is that most of what they stock is school-appropriate, being so close to the elementary school, and there's hardly anything on the finer and wilder side of things.

But that's okay. They're both looking at casual anyway.

And it turns into quite an amusing experience.

'Black is terrible on you,' Takato says bluntly, and Juri has to agree. It makes her look depressing. Grey doesn't look much better in her opinion but Takato still gave her a long and considering look. 'Maybe,' he hedged. 'Not on its own, but could work in a colour combination.' And then he stops her from pulling the dress off over her head again. 'Let your head down?'

She slips the hair-tie off and flattens the bump in her hair. Takato hums and Juri has to admit it does look a little better with her hair down. It's still dreary though. 'The full-length's something to work with,' Takato decides finally, and Juri puts the dress back on the hanger.

With that in mind, they hunt down a few more full length dresses – and there aren't many of them and the next one's white and they both agree it makes her look washed out. Then there was a yellow one with flowers that Juri liked but Takato decided was too bright and peppy…and, Juri got the feeling, altogether superficial. Which isn't bad in a general context but not suitable for the angle Takato's going for.

Which, Juri realises, is going to portray her in a far more human light once Masahiko's grown up a little more and can see past pretty colours on a page. Hopefully it won't backfire on her, but Masahiko is too endearing right now for her to really entertain that as a possibility. It'll be good for him to know his big half-sister isn't infallible.

And it'll be a good reminder for her too.

'Is something wrong?' Takato asks suddenly.

Juri realises she's zoned out with the yellow flower-dress still on and smiles sheepishly. 'Just thinking about how nice it is to be reminded you're not infallible.' She considers her wording. 'Well, not nice per say, but good.'

'Good as in it stops someone from getting a god-complex?' he quips. 'Or a hero complex.'

'Something like that,' she agrees with a grin. 'Can't say I'd mind being the hero.'

'Can't say I hear many girls saying that,' Takato admits. 'Try the brown one.'

She tries it, and it's not a whole lot different than the yellow one. Tamer somehow. Maybe a little muted, and there's a knot in Takato's forehead as he tries to puzzle that problem out. 'I know,' he exclaims finally. 'You need a cardigan or something.'

'With that weather, definitely do,' Juri agrees, even if that's not what they're talking about. Takato's suddenly gone anyway, combing another rack and it's pleasant watching that. Not like her father who looks so painfully out of place there. Maybe it's because they're about the same age and young and he's not ever going to do her laundry. Or maybe it's just that he's not family. Or because he has an eye for things his father doesn't… Not that she hasn't kept up with the theme of yellows and greens and pinks and browns since stating her own preferences when it comes to clothes.

Though maybe she should have mentioned that to Takato, because he's come back with a few extra colours, including lavender which she looks absolutely ridiculous in. 'Why do I look so grey in shades of purple?' she sighs.

'No idea.' Takato considers her. 'I mean, everyone has colours they prefer and colours that suit them – and then other colours that don't.' And then Juri mentions the pinks and Takato goes back for a few shades (because cardigans look more or less the same but dresses come in all shapes and patterns) and they find two.

They disagree slightly on the shades, but they are for two different purposes after all. So Juri poses for Takato in the dress and cardigan they've picked out and he sketches her and notes the colours as best he can, and then she examines herself in the mirror and wishes she did need a replacement dress because it is a nice one. But her day dress is perfectly fine…and full length probably isn't the best for running around school anyway. Or with sneakers. She looks down and realises how odd that looks, but Takato isn't drawing a full-length portrait and she's not a fan of heels.

The salesperson seems disgruntled they spend so much time there and buy nothing in the end, but the two of them get what they'd wanted out of it and more.


	5. Day Fashion

**Stormy Inspiration  
** _Chapter 5 - Day Fashion_

.

He likes hanging out with his friends and it seems Juri has been elevated to the friend status and he wonders why they've never talked so much before. Maybe it's because they have their own circle of friends. Maybe it's the general understanding that boys hang out with boys and girls hang out with girls and so they've wound up on the opposite ends of their classroom and haven't done anything since. Or maybe it's because Juri is nice to everybody but that's nice on a superficial level and the total opposite of Hirokazu who can be rather annoying until you get to know him and realise that's just his way of being friendly.

But Juri has her layers too and now he's seeing them. Kind of like Kenta, who they'd thought was just a guy who had his nose stuck in a book instead of real life. Hirokazu's still too hard to draw (for him anyway; the class at the library manages pretty well for the most part and he's the one who brought Hirokazu!) but Kenta's been a good subject and now he has Juri as well. Lots of rough sketches in his mind but he's still trying to sort out the first one, and to do that he needs his pencils and paints and the rain to stop.

.

The rain hasn't stopped yet, and they're hungry so they buy burgers and chips from one of the fast food joints and sit by the window. By the time they're done with those, the sky's cleared up and it's deep into the afternoon and they've somehow signed on for the rest of the day together.

'You should come over to my place,' Juri suggests. 'You haven't met Masahiko, have you?'

'I've seen him,' says Takato, 'but haven't met him, no.' He's met Juri's father though. Stern man. A little scary and they have Asanuma-sensei as their teacher. 'We'll need to go to my place first though. I need my pencils and paint…or the other way around.' He chews on his lip as he wonders.

Juri grins. 'We can have leftover bar food for dinner,' she offers. 'To top off the day.'

'Why not?' he agrees. 'Thank goodness there wasn't much homework this week.'

'Thank goodness,' Juri echoes. 'Imagine telling Asanuma-sensei we were trying on clothes together and that's why we didn't do it.'

They giggle, though they're fairly sure they'd have gotten a firm dressing down if that happened. A double dose, even because she'd probably complain to their parents too. She's not a bad teacher per say, but she is strict and she's always telling them to be mindful of the impressions they give to others and how that reflects on other people. And two eleven year old kids going clothes shopping is perfectly innocent in the eyes of some people, and then not in others.

Considering how many times the sketchbook came up though, both of them are quite sure the salesperson falls into the innocent category. And Takato has solid proof in the same sketchbook. But Asamura-sensei shouldn't find out anyway. Unless they cause a rather big wave – like the time Hirokazu broke a pane in the local glasshouse – how they spend their weekends don't really come to her attention.

And he is definitely not mentioning this in show and tell, otherwise Hirokazu won't let him hear the end of it.

They drift over quietly to Takato's house. The streets are far emptier but people are starting to trickle out and most of them are stepping carefully, avoiding puddles. Some are enchanted children and they splash and Takato stops and watches them for a bit before deciding they fall into the Hirokazu category of drawing (in other words, out of his league at the moment). But maybe that's okay. Few people draw things like clouds but they represent the sort of subtlety he wants to bring out…like this, anyway. He can draw his own imaginary creatures too: dragons with red scales that breathe fire but that's his imagination running away from him. This is his portrait on reality and the things that move move too quickly for him to grasp.

It's his own way of saying he's slow and wafty and has his head in the clouds more often than not and that's fine with him because, honestly, that's who he is.

And it seems Juri is equally cloudy because not once has she said he's had his head up in the clouds at least a third of the time he's been with her.

And he laughs. Because that means their cloudy moments have been perfectly overlapping.

Juri stares at him. 'What are you thinking about?' she asks.

'Cloudy moments,' Takato replies truthfully, and Juri snorts. 'That and how fast kids change.'

'They do do that,' Juri agrees. 'Even with a kid brother at home, he seems to grow taller by the day. But not adults. They stop growing at some point – except shrinking a tiny bit as their back dries out.'

'That sounds gross,' Takato says with a grimace. 'But I guess that's why old people hunch over. Or part of it.'

'Part of it,' Juri agrees. 'But isn't that weird? Growing taller is a part of growing older for kids like us, but then you're an adult and you shrink. Does that mean they go backwards?'

It's a slightly scary thought, but amusing as well and they chat and let their minds wander.

Like the children splashing about. All of them are in boots and maybe it's because they've sat and watched the rain as well and given their parents enough time to outfit them. And then there were people rained in like them and those ones were obvious because they carried no umbrella, wore no boots and didn't have a poncho or anything really to keep out the rain.

In fact, if it starts raining again, they'll be in trouble because they've got the sketchbook, canvas, novel and picture book and all those things will be mutated by the rain.

And Takato snorts to himself because…mutated? Really? But it's slipped into his thoughts. 'Mutated,' he says to Juri. 'The rain mutates paper.'

Juri laughs as well. 'While clouds just drift and change in subtle ways like an adult that keeps on growing. No wonder children like splashing in puddles so much. At least they're dressed for it.'

'Definitely,' Takato agrees, considering a good number of their kids probably attend Yodobashi Elementary School along with them. And though they're on opposite ends of the spectrum, sneezing and coughing in hallways or on the playground is a good way to make things spread.

Kids splashing in puddles is a rippling image but boots covered in mud aren't when they sit on the porch drying and they pass those as well. Takato notes that into his mental notebook but one project at a time – aside from his doodles and cloud portraits and things like that. One big standalone project at a time, then. And when the rainy season truly starts there'll be more boots and more inspiration.

'How about now?' asks Juri.

'Muddy boots.' Takato grins.

'Try muddy sneakers,' Juri returns.

And it's true. Both their sneakers are a mess…but that can't be helped in the aftermath of so much rain.


	6. Fashion Disaster

**Stormy Inspiration  
** _Chapter 6 - Fashion Disaster_

.

She usually likes keeping neat. It's less work and they do live above a bar and a bar is a public place. And even when it's not, it's not a place for childish things: muddy children dripping over the floor or covered in sand. It's not a place for rainbows and dreams either. Celebrations yes, sometimes, or tears or moping or the quiet disentanglement that comes after a long day's work. And it's also out of place when her brother looks at her with such innocent shining eyes, relying on her good example.

But it's quite a different manner when she's running about with a friend and their sneakers and socks are already soaked and Takato's pants as well. Takato's mother doesn't even let them inside once she learns they're only transiting through, and she fetches Takato's things for him instead. She also warns him to call for a ride when he's ready to come home and he promises he will. They giggle later about the ride entailing a van because most boys don't get picked up from a girl's house in a van, do they?

It's all unplanned. They're tumbling with the momentum and that's fine and there's no way Takato's going to finish painting or even start in the time they have left but that's okay as well. And if they're both so spontaneous today it might shatter. Tomorrow may come and they've moved apart and on to other things and that inspiration, that thing he suddenly saw in her, might be as fleeting as their morning meeting under the clouds that rained them in.

But then he grins and it doesn't matter, because a girl can be a princess for a day and he's giving her something better than a photo to immortalise it – and immortalise something deeper than the smiling face she prefers to show to the world.

And isn't that a gratifying and a humbling thing?

.

They squelch their way up the Katou's driveway and Juri grins sheepishly at her father. 'We got caught out,' she confesses, 'and then walking through the rain and splashing kids…'

By that point they're even messier. She's got mud on her dress and Takato's got wet splotches on his hoodie. Takato's mother had packed the papers and things into a backpack at least, so those were safe. The backpack had mud on it as well.

Juri's father sighs and calls up to her stepmother to fetch towels. She does but she's still surprised at the boy and girl on their doorstep: Takato who she's never seen and Juri like she's never witnessed before.

But there's something alive in Juri's face, and that makes her smile as well. And her father frown because he's witnessing his daughter swept off his feet already and it's too soon and too raw.

But it's an innocent scene all round: two kids who met up at the park and got stuck in the rain and cooked up a project in the meantime…even if that's not quite the order that goes in. So the introductions go around, they towel themselves as best they can and shed their shoes and socks and Takato rolls up his pant legs as well, and then they go upstairs.

'This one's Masahiko's room,' says Juri, stopping at the first door and then knocking after the tour part was done. 'Masahiko?' The door's partially open anyway, but knocking sets a polite example and Masahiko comes dashing when she opens the door. There's an exchange with the sock puppet which Takato is watching closer than he feels he should (because, after all, it's the exchange between two siblings and he's an only child and not family to boot) but it's too fascinating to let go of. Perhaps it's the same reasons. He's an only child and so seeing siblings interact is still a novelty of sorts to him – and beyond that, isn't part of the reason he's here to see exactly this? See Masahiko and the Juri he sees and the Juri he'll uncover one day from the canvas if he does a good enough job at it… And also to see where Juri's been picturing it so he can slot the sky into place.

He wanders over to the wall as Masahiko trails curiously after him, and winds up turned around to entertain the three year old. Juri's grinning at him after a few minutes and Takato decides that grin is translates to him looking a bit like an idiot – but oh well. Kids have a way of doing that, he assumes. Which begs the question as to why Juri thinks Masahiko sees her more as an angel, but that's a family matter. His aim's something else. To paint the human Juri underneath the angel one.

And when the sock puppet is distracting Masahiko, he wanders over to the wall again. There are sock puppets there as well, from some show he's not familiar with but it doesn't quite look the same as Juri's sock puppet. That one's hand-made, Takato thinks, and not quite in the same image. Maybe Juri made it when her brother was born to entertain him and it's grown since then. Or maybe she made it as a second voice for herself earlier on. It's personal either way. Takato can see that plainly with the way the sock puppet slips in and out of view and how it's often the one to offer advice and such things…and yet he's only talked to it once all day. Perhaps that's a sort of record.

And his mind has drifted far away from the wall, hasn't it? He looks at it thoughtfully again. Amongst the sock-puppets of course. Amongst them but not above or below them or even quite in the middle of them, otherwise she'll be swallowed up entirely by them.

And then he laughs because he's envisioning something else entirely but it's perfect, and Juri looks over at him. 'What is it?' she asks curiously.

'Right here.' He taps the wall where there's already a poster – but that's okay. Posters can move. The angel belongs near the pillow and near the window too. To smile at him in the mornings. To smile at him when he goes to sleep. To be there when he's curled into a depressed little ball on his bed but also the reasonable devil's advocate when dreams grow too big.

Juri considers it. They fiddle around with the canvas and Masahiko jumps on the bed because that's what he thinks they're doing – and without anything on the canvas, maybe they are a little.

And then it's to the dining table and the sketches and Takato adds his colours in while Juri looks on – and considers how different the girl in that sketch looks to the reflection she catches on the window – and how some of that crept out today and not before…

But it's also exhausting and she can feel tiredness tugging everywhere and her head's spinning too. She probably has to convince her father that Takato's harmless and a friend tomorrow – and convince her friends that hanging out with Takato for the day is perfectly innocent (and somewhat academic) as well…and consider the ramifications of letting things closer to her heart slip out and onto paper – but it's still exhilarating and she's still glowing inside even if the outside is looking bedraggled already.

But she should probably shower after dinner and Takato leaves, otherwise she'll look a right sight by Monday. Although… She snorts.

Takato looks at her questioningly. 'I was thinking how you'd like to draw a zombie me,' she commented.

He blinks at her, then eeps and shakes his head. 'Let's keep zombies and dragons in the fantasy basket.'

Sounds like she needs to see this sketchbook of his too, someday. Or in the margins of one of his notebooks at school.


End file.
